That's the way it should be!!!

Today starts week two of the Do Life Challenge and it's even better than the first!!  This weeks theme is "Pay it Forward" and we have to do two acts of kindness to make someones day or life better.  I have some ideas for my acts but I'll share those later.  We also have some homework questions that we have to answer on the forums but I'm going to answer one of them here.

The first homework task is to tell a story about someone who went out of their way to do something that changed your day or life.  My answer to that is two fold.  It started with one person and continues with lots.  The first thing that came to mind when I read that was when I started running.  I went to ask Celine about it and she spent a bunch of time telling me about Runners' Edge and running.  She then encouraged me to join the beginner clinic.  I did and that changed my life.  I didn't know what I was getting into when I started and was scared but she was right there encouraging me along and still does today (she said something about a full marathon because she's hilarious like that).  I have changed in many ways since that first run back in September 2010 and will continue to change.  The reason I say it continues with many people is because the other runners from Runners' Edge have always been so encouraging and accepting right from the beginning.  I really truly feel that without all of those people I wouldn't be where I am today!! 

Where am I today you might ask??  Well really considering signing up for my first half marathon in June instead of September for one thing and almost 3lbs lighter than last week for a second!!  Yep you read that right!!  I lost 3lbs this week!!!  Ok well 2.8lbs but close enough:)

Yippee!!!

Week One Done!

Today marks the end of the first week of the Do Life Challenge.  I am happy to report that I stuck to my goals and had an amazing week!   I enjoyed time with my girls, I exercised more than I have in months and I ate really well.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow mornings weigh in to see what the numbers show.  I won't be disappointed if it's not a huge drop.  As long as there is a little drop I'll be happy. 

The week two challenge wasn't up yet when I checked but I am prepared!  I have lunches all made for tomorrow, I organized my cupboards today and I know what is for dinner most nights this week.  The only big challenge I face this week is still a few days away so I have time to prepare.   Next weekend is busy and involves eating out twice which doesn't fit my goals.  I know that goals aren't meant to be perfect and I know that just because I am eating out doesn't mean I have to make bad choices.  I plan to take a look at the menu for both restaurants before hand and will pick out something that is tasty but healthy.  Then there will be alcohol and cake but those I can handle.  The trick will be getting the cake made without extra icing hanging around.  It's like a drug to me and I just can't resist!! 

Well I hope everyone had a great weekend and is as ready for this week as I am!

One Lucky Lady!

Today marked my first official run of 2012 and what a great run it was.  I've been a bit gun shy since a run about 3 weeks ago when my asthma flared up really badly and I had to cut  my run way short and walk back to the store.  I have never had a problem with my breathing when running before but I think a combination of things caused it including some pretty strong head winds and cold temps.  Today however was a fantastic run.  At the beginning I was a bit wheezy but I had my inhaler and when we stopped to stretch I used it and it was smooth sailing from there. 

The weather is so strange right now and it was 5 degrees at 8am!!  It was sunny, calm and just beautiful:)  I was reminded this morning of how wonderful the people I run with are.  Everyone is so supportive and encouraging.  No one passes you without a smile or a wave and everyone looks out for everyone else.  It's so reassuring to know that if I did run into trouble I would have someone out there looking out for me. 

The rest of the weekend is supposed to be pretty nice too:)  I have movie date with one of my best friends tonight, tomorrow we have to morning to lounge around  and late in the afternoon Meag will be home:)  She's been at her Mom's for the week and I'm eager to see her! 

Who could ask for more than great weather, super running buddies, wonderful friends and fantastic family time?
I hope everyone else is having a great weekend too!!

It's Friday!

This week sure has flown by!  I can't believe that it's day 5 of Do Life Challenge 2012:)  I have stuck to my goals very well this week and have completed not just 120 minutes of exercise but 150 minutes and I still have my Saturday morning run to complete.  I think next week I'm going to have to look at the Intermediate/Advanced exercise challenge.  Never in my life would I have expected to write that last sentence!!! 

I'm so excited for my run tomorrow too!  It's been weeks since I have run with the wonderful people at Runners' Edge:)  It's going to be beautiful weather too!  Can you believe that it's 6 degrees at 8:41am on January 6th?  That's insane! 

Tonight is movie night with Anna and I think we might watch it snuggled up in bed instead of on the couch.  I always resisted getting a TV for our room but now that I have it I don't regret it (yet).  It's been nice having the option to snuggle up in bed to watch Anna's movies and it's nice to stick it on and have the news playing in the background while I get ready for work in the morning.  That used to be one of my favorite things before kids.  Now we don't have the TV on in the living room in the mornings or Anna would never make it to school on time.  It doesn't matter what is on that thing is like a magnet for her and if it's on she is so distracted.  Luckily she knows the morning routine and knows that it doesn't get turned on until every last task is complete and then only if there is time.

So if this first week is any indicator it looks like 2012 is going to be as great as I expected!  I hope everyone else gets to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather with some kind of activity this weekend:)  Enjoy!

Weigh in day!

As I mentioned yesterday we have to set goals for the month for the Do Life Challenge.  They can be physical goals, health related or anything we want.  Since I joined the challenge to help get my butt moving a bit more my first of the five goals is to lose 7lbs by February 1st.  Sounds like a lot but when you look at the fact that the professionals say a healthy, sustainable weight loss is 1-2lbs a week it's not too crazy.  My reason for this is based on what I weighed yesterday morning when I started.  I haven't gained since last week but haven't lost either.  My other fitness related goals are to prepare all of our meals with the exception of one per week and to cut 1 minute off my 5k time.  I'm going to have to run 5k this week to determine what my current time is.  Now I know a minute is an awful lot but I think it's possible.  I know that I can push a bit harder than I usually do and since my regular time has always been somewhere around 45 minutes I think cutting it by one isn't too much.  If I only cut 30 seconds of that is ok too.  Any improvement is good in my books.  I took a picture this week in part because I need to keep myself accountable and partly because when I didn't last week it was out of pure shame.  Ignoring it and pretending it didn't happen won't change it.  Really gaining 4lbs over Christmas really isn't much when you look at the statistics.  I believe that the average is between 5 and 10lbs over the month of December.  Since I lost a little bit at the beginning of December I'm happy with where I am right now and know that I won't see this number ever again:)

Say goodbye to that number:)

Day One

Today is the first day of the Do Life Challenge!!  Late last night we were given our challenges for the week and instructions for what we have to do to complete them.  The first in the list is to set five goals for the month.  When I read that part I thought it would be easy peasy.  I was so wrong!!  All day today I thought about it and in between working on things at work I would jot ideas down.  They definitely formed into goals but the tough part is that they are supposed to be quantifiable and I'm not certain that they are.  We then had to look at where we are now in those areas so that we can measure success at the end.  The exercise portion consists of seeing how many push ups we can do at one time (mine was only 3 pathetic push ups) and then I have to do 120 minutes of exercise.  I chose to go in the beginner group for this one because I haven't been exercising as much the past few weeks so I thought to start this I would stick to the lower level.  If I find I do way more this week between running and other stuff I will chose the intermediate/advanced group next week.  The final portion of this weeks challenges is to reflect every night on four things we did well that day.  So tonight my four things that I did well today were that I ate well and didn't turn to junk food at the first opportunity, I played Monopoly Jr with Anna and when Christina wanted to play we found a way to make sure she could join, I engaged with my family instead of plunking down at the computer the minute dinner was cleared away and finally I exercised for just a little bit longer than I planned to:)

This challenge is going to be an interesting one and I think it's just what I need to kick my butt into shape!

Happy New Year!

It's January 1st:)  A new year, a new outlook and great plans.  Who could ask for more? 

My birthday is in two weeks and we have plans with friends to go to a Buffalo Bandit's game on my birthday!  It's the home opener and I am told that it will be a great experience.  I have never been to a professional lacrosse game before.  I'm very excited! 

I have signed up for the "Do Life New Year Challenge" as well.  It's a 12 week challenge and I have no idea what I've gotten myself into but it's sure to be fabulous!!

As for running I have plans to run several races ranging from 5k to a half marathon (or 2?).  I started the day today planning to only run one half but then someone told me about another one that is being held in June that is all women and it's the first year for it.  Sounds like something I can't miss.  I'm excited for all that means for me!!  If I am going to run all of these runs I will be sure to keep my eating in check too!  It would be silly to spend all that time training but putting junk into my body all day long. 

It's going to be a great year so check back often!!!